


A Dream of the Winter Wars

by TRHOSStormblade



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: A Clash of Kings, A Dance with Dragons, A Feast For Crows, A Storm of Swords, ADWD, AFFC, ASoIaF, ASoS Steel and Snow, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Before ASoIaF, Braavos, Catelyn Feels Guilty, Daenerys Targaryen - Freeform, Dothraki, Everyone Is Alive, Except Jon Arryn, Gen, House Stark, I will tag more as it progresses, Joffrey Baratheon - Freeform, Joffrey Lannister - Freeform, Jon Arryn - Freeform, Jon Is ASoIaF, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, Jon Snow knows nothing, Khal Drogo - Freeform, Lady - Freeform, Mainly the Starks, Mentions Of Further Storyline, Mentions of Further Plotline, Mentions of Other ASoIaF Characters, Minor Lyanna Stark/Rhaegar Targaryen, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pentos, Petyr Baelish - Freeform, Pre-A Game of Thrones, R plus L equals J, Rhaegar plus Lyanna equals Jon, Robert Baratheon - Freeform, Shaggydog - Freeform, Stark Family Plus Theon And Jon, Summer, The House of Black and White, This Story Remains In Winterfell, War Of The Five Kings, Westeros, Winterfell, a song of ice and fire - Freeform, acok, asos, before the war, cersei lannister - Freeform, direwolves, ghost - Freeform, grey wind - Freeform, jaime lannister - Freeform, mentions of Daenerys Targaryen, nymeria - Freeform, tyrion lannister - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-05 13:32:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4181679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TRHOSStormblade/pseuds/TRHOSStormblade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What do we say to the Lord of Death?'</p><p>'Not today.”<br/>― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones</p><p>-</p><p>They each went to sleep dreaming of pleasant things, but when they awaken it's much different.<br/>They all have the same nightmare; it's one filled with war, death, treachery, and winter. They lay dead beneath their graves.<br/>The children talk about it, but the parents say nothing. They're afraid, but they brush it off. Things like this don't happen.<br/>In the morning, news reaches them about Jon Arryn's death. King Robert of House Baratheon is coming to request Lord Eddard Stark to be Hand of the King.<br/>"Things like this don't happen." they repeat to themselves. It becomes their mantra; they're forcing themselves to believe it.<br/>But it must have been a sign from the Gods, because this is how the nightmare begins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awaken

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> This is just an idea that came to me a few years back when a certain character I liked was killed, and I wrote down the notes (because that's how I am) and never got round to doing anything about it.  
> But now here I am! I've finally decided to start this, and I'd really like it if you read it!  
> This first chapter is just to see how things go (I'm not confident about my writing at all, but I realise that to get better I must practice) and is my first time posting any fanfiction online, so I'm nervous.  
>  **Please note: Certain events are similar to the books/actually take place in ASoIaF, but the timing may be different. This is not by accident; it is done intentionally for the purpose of certain storylines.**
> 
> Update: I just made a Twitter account dedicated to my AO3 page (I know I've only posted two chapters of one fic so far, but more chapters/fics will come) where I will be posting regular updates about ADoTWW and other fanfics that I will be posting. So please follow me there! @TRHOSStormblade (link https://twitter.com/TRHOSStormblade )
> 
> Please enjoy!

Lady Catelyn was the first to wake, her throat raw from muffled screams into her pillow and her nose runny from the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. For a moment she truly believed that this was a dream inside a dream, because she was sure that she had felt the sharp blade leave a red kiss along her throat, from ear to ear, the blood seeping down her dress and onto the floor in a terrible puddle...But when Eddard cried out beside her, she flinched and hoped that this was real.  
Her hand reached out and stroked his shoulder in a way to soothe him; however, when she saw his face contorted in what could only be pain, she gripped his muscles and shook him until his grey eyes snapped open in fear.  


"Catelyn?" he gasped, his voice ringing clear around the room. He sat up quickly, the moonlight streaming across his face, and Catelyn saw the tears glisten in his eyes.  


_"Ned,"_ her voice came out in a breath and her hand moved instinctively to his face. She stroked his cheek quietly, and when the pair noticed the tears flowing from their eyes, they threw their arms around each other and clung on for dear life. "Ned, you were only dreaming."  


"Cat," he sighed into her auburn hair before pulling back and watching her Tully blue eyes carefully. "It seems that you were too."  


"Yes."  


For a moment neither would speak, but finally Ned leaned back against the headboard and pulled his wife into his arms, her head against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat racing, and feel it too.  


"Tell me what frightened you so." he whispered, his hands running through her hair absentmindedly. All that mattered right now was that she was with him, and this was real. He felt her sigh against him.  


"It was horrible, Ned. Jon Arryn had died, and Robert came to Winterfell to ask you to be the Hand of the King. You didn't want to, but...there was a letter from Lysa, speaking of the Lannisters part in her husband's death. I forced you to go, to find out more. You took Sansa and Arya; Sansa was to be betrothed to Prince Joffrey. But then terrible things happened - treacherous things - King Robert died and you lost your head to his sons axe for treason. There was a war of five kings, and it ended in bloodshed." she was meaning to say more, but a knock at their door stopped her. Ned's mind was now elsewhere, but he called the person in anyhow.  


When the door swung open, all of the children were there: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and little Rickon. The girls clutched Robb tightly, their faces frozen in fear - Sansa especially - and Bran and Rickon stayed close. Ned seemed confused.  


"And what are our children doing up at this time?" he asked in a strict voice, although he was sure he knew what the problem was. Robb glanced down at the youngers, before stepping a foot inside the bedroom.  


"The little ones all had nightmares, father." he announced, trying to act mature. Catelyn noted the look in his eyes however, and instantly wanted to embrace him as if he were still a child. He was _afraid._  


"Come here." Catelyn motioned to the bed, and a smile flickered across the her face when all of her children clambered onto the bed beside them.  
Little Rickon felt safest in his mother's arms, and although he was young and probably couldn't understand nightmares, he was shaking. Sansa sat beside her mother and Arya, who was next to Ned. Sansa held onto her mother's arm, and Arya leaned against her father while Bran climbed on the outside, and Ned had to put his arms around the two children closest to him in an attempt to comfort them. Robb was perched at Catelyn's feet, watching his younger siblings as they clung to their parents.  


"What did you dream about, Sansa?" Catelyn asked, reaching a hand out to stroke her daughter's hair. She marveled at how beautiful it was, and long too. How she wished Arya had hair like hers that she could braid and look pretty. Her daughter sniffled, which wasn't unlike her; Sansa was prone to crying, but this felt different.  


"Oh, mother, it was _horrible._ There was a war, and I was to be queen, but the King was a horrible boy who told me he would be merciful but chopped father's head off!" her words were cut short as she erupted into a wail, and Arya turned to her with an expression of disbelief.  


"I dreamt that _too!_ And I ran away to Braavos where I learned to change into other people. Father, do you know about the House of Black and White?" she asked, her slate grey eyes glinting in the moonlight. Eddard was speechless, and when he glanced at Cat, he realised that she was too. Before he could say anything, however, Bran piped up.  


"I dreamt I fell. I never fall." his voice was quiet, and for a minute he looked slightly lost. "I couldn't walk anymore, but then I began dreaming of a three-eyed crow. He told me I would never be able to walk again, but I would fly."  
The room was deadly silent. How was a mother supposed to comfort her child when she had dreamt of the same things, Catelyn thought in distress. Robb cleared his throat.  


"I was King in the North." His arms were folded across his chest, and he was looking but not seeing. It was almost unnerving, until he spoke up again. "I broke a promise, and I paid the price. I was killed at a wedding."  
No one said anything after that, but the children hugged their parents closer. It seemed that the dreams had completely unnerved them, and they would most likely not fall back asleep. It was still the early hours of the morning, but instead of sending them back to bed they let them stay close. It was calm and quiet until a grunt came from outside, the unmistakeable sound of a weapon hitting a dummy. It was Arya that jumped up immediately and ran to the window, her solemn face breaking into a smile when she looked into the courtyard.  


"Jon!" she called, so loud that Catelyn scolded her.  


"You'll wake up all of Winterfell. Come back to bed."  
But when Arya looked back and saw Ned smiling, she knew she had permission. With the sky lightening, she hurried into her room to get proper clothes on, and soon the rest of the children were too. The room was empty again save from Ned and Cat, and when they looked at each other, they knew there was no point lying.  


"I had the same dreams." Lord Stark admitted, standing up to get ready. He glanced out of the window down at his children playing, and it felt as though someone had hit him in the gut.  


"I know."  
When Ned finally turned around, Catelyn was out of bed and into her long grey dress, and looking at her he felt like he couldn't love her more. His expression was troubled when she met his eyes.  


"What do you think it means?" he wondered aloud, and felt himself grow wary of what the Gods had in store for them. Catelyn was silent for a minute before rushing to embrace him.  


"It means nothing. Things like this don't happen. It was just a coincidence, and the children probably didn't dream any of that. They most likely heard what each other was dreaming about and thought that they had too."  
Her words were meant to comfort him, and they did in a way. He held her tightly against his chest for a few moments, their lips meeting quietly before he let go and rushed to find his attire.  


Catelyn went to the window and stared down at the children; Sansa stood watching, Rickon by her side while Robb and Theon Greyjoy shot arrows with Bran. Arya was sword fighting in a place that she probably thought was hidden from the view of her lady mother. When her opponent spun around with an easy smile on his face and ruffled her hair, Cat heard him call Arya 'little sister' and she felt the breath leave her. Staring at the bastard Jon Snow, she could think of only one word. 

**_Targaryen._**


	2. Direwolves and News From The King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As some Stark's begin to see parts of their dream put into reality, others still remain in the dark.  
> The Stark children get their wolves and feel as if they know them, and Ned gets the news that he's been dreading.  
> He waits for Catelyn to say the words, but with the dream coming true, will she decide to follow the path that was 'chosen' for her family or will she try desperately to change it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back already! Yes, I was already writing this when I uploaded Chapter 1, and now here it is!  
> 
> 
> Also, please follow my new Twitter account @TRHOSStormblade where I will be posting updates and talking to anyone if they want too. I will discuss anything that you want to! Link ( https://twitter.com/TRHOSStormblade ) 
> 
> Please enjoy!

Despite the clear sky and the crisp, cool air, Bran felt sick with dread. It was his first time going to see his father behead a man, now that he was in his seventh year and deemed old enough, and although he had been excited at first there was something that suddenly made him stop feeling that way.  


Although it was his first time, it all oddly felt familiar as he stared at the man bound to the holdfast, old and scrawny, missing both ears and a finger to what Bran suspected was frostbite. As the man was cut down from the wall and dragged towards his lord father for questioning, Bran closed his eyes and waited for the word from one of his brothers to watch. When he shouldn't have been able to see anything, he suddenly did, and the world went quiet around him.  


The deserters body lay awkwardly, headless and bloody. His head rolled, but all Bran could see was the snow around the neck turning a deep red colour and spreading closer too him, so much so that it made his stomach turn icy cold and-  


"Keep the pony well in hand, Bran," he opened his eyes as his bastard brother Jon Snow leaned closer to him. "And don't look away. Father will know if you do."  


He watched as his father - no, this was not his father, this was Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, delivering the king's justice - brought down his dark Valyrian steel sword, Ice, the power of it taking off the man's head in one short slice. The boy was shocked to see the head roll away, just like he saw moments ago, and the snow darken with the man's still warm blood. He heard Theon Greyjoy - a lord boy from the Iron Islands that his father had brought back as hostage after the Rebellion - laugh, and heard the _thud_ of his foot colliding with the dead mans head as he kicked it away. Bran felt Jon stiffen beside him as Theon carried on grinning - he was nineteen, lean, with dark hair and a grin so mean that never left his face - and he heard his half-brother mutter about the Ironborn being an ass, before putting a hand on Bran's shoulder.  


"You did well," the fact that Jon seemed sincere in his words made Bran feel a little lighter, but the vision of the bloody snow still wouldn't leave him. He might have only been in seven years old, but he remembered his dream from the morning, and that was definitely part of it.  


He could barely hear Robb talking over the blood rushing through his veins.  


He certainly felt older and wiser than he did yesterday. It was as if his dreams were true, and he had lived many years in dark times. He was used to violence, he realised.  


_Don't trust Theon,_ a voice at the back of his mind warned. He eyed the grinning boy warily, and felt as though he should take his own advice. 

-

None of the children could hide their delight when they saw the men returning with the direwolf pups. Arya ran straight for Jon, full of questions.  


"They're so cute, am I allowed one?"  


"Did Bran do well today?"  


"What did the deserter look like?"  


"What was it like seeing a man getting his head chopped-" she cut herself off with that one when she felt the blood pounding in her ears. She remembered the glint of Ice as a man raised it above his head, remembered Sansa falling to the floor screaming, and remembered a man calling her a boy and refusing to let her see. Suddenly she didn't feel like talking - in fact, she felt like being sick - but she couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as Jon placed a yapping puppy in her arms.  


"She's beautiful." she breathed, stroking the grey fur of the direwolf. "How did you convince father?"  


Jon had to grin at her reaction, stroking the snow white fur of his own pup.  


"We saw a dead stag with a missing antler, and we looked around. We found the biggest direwolf, the mother, lying dead in the snow with the missing antler stuck in her throat. There were five pups left without a mother, and I told him it was a sign. The direwolf is the symbol of House Stark, and he has five children. A pup for each of you."  
Arya felt almost saddened by that.  


"Six. He has _six_ children." she gave him a pointed look, only just realising the white direwolf in his arms.  


"I'm nothing but a bastard, Arya," his words made her uncomfortable, because he would always be her brother, illegitimate or not. The smile on his face lightened his words, but the best part was when he gripped his dog with one hand and reached out the other one to ruffle her dark hair. "But you'll always be my little sister. My favourite little sister. Just don't tell Sansa."  
Arya laughed and they were silent for a moment, until a focused look came onto the girl's face.  


"You should name him Ghost. I have a feeling that he might grow up to be one of the biggest, strongest, most loyal wolves out of this lot, even if he is the runt." _Ghost_ , she liked that name. She felt an echo of it as she stared at the pup in his arms, and the image of a grown direwolf in front of her was so real that she had to blink. Jon's smile faltered.  


"I thought of Ghost too."  
They were interrupted with the cries of Sansa as she wrapped her arms around her dog, the tears flowing freely. She didn't even bother to wipe them.  


"Oh, Lady! I've missed you so much. I'm so sorry!"  
No one even realised what she had said; they were just focusing on the name.  


"Ghost, Lady...Nymeria," Arya whispered, glancing at the wolf pups. Her eyes went to the others, Bran, Rickon and Robb, and before she could say anything, she heard Jon whisper too.  


"Summer, Shaggydog, Grey Wind."  


_Strange._ It was almost as if they knew them.  
-  
Catelyn found her husband in the godswood, a place where she would always feel uncomfortable no matter how many years she'd been in Winterfell. There had to be about three acres worth of forest, untouched for ten thousand years as the castle at Winterfell grew around it. It smelled too earthy, too real. She was born a Tully, and back in Riverrun the godswood was a bright garden thats only shadows were those that fell across the pretty streams, caused by the redwoods that grew tall. The garden smelled of flowers, and there were always birds singing from nests that no one could find, filling the garden with beautiful music. It was truly a place that seemed worthy of gods, but the Winterfell godswood was the complete opposite. The Northern way was the old way, and their gods had no need for pretty things.  


Ned would always seek the quiet of the godswood after he took a man's life, as if he were praying to the gods for some reason; he wouldn't apologise for taking a mans life, because his honour was the biggest part of him. People could say what they want, but the Northern men had their honour.  
She found him sitting under the weirwood, cleaning the blade of Ice. As she approached, she could almost feel the red eyes of the weirwood following her. Her stomach churned and she was reminded of the dreams as she called his name. He turned and asked about the children - but that wasn't what she was here to talk about. Ned slid Ice back into its sheath.  


"There was a letter containing some hard news today, my lord." she took his hand in her own and gently squeezed it, and he was certain that he knew what the news was.  


"Jon Arryn." his name wasn't a question when he whispered it, and he felt his gut clench wickedly. When he was younger, Eddard had been fostered at the Eyrie with king Robert Baratheon, and Lord Arryn had become a second father to him. The Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, once demanded their heads, and Jon Arryn raised his moon-and-falcon banners in revolt instead of giving up those he had pledged to protect. He even became a brother to him, fifteen years ago when both of them stood at the sept at Riverrun and wed two sisters, Catelyn and Lysa. Ned felt true emptiness as he thought about the loss of a great man.  


"I am so sorry, my love. The letter was in Robert's own hand, with the king's seal. I saved it for you, if you care to read it. He was given milk of the poppy and taken quickly; he didn't suffer the pain for long."  


Somehow, Ned knew that Catelyn had the same thoughts as him, but he forced himself to calm down. Where was Jon's son, young Robert? Catelyn should go to the Eyrie to visit them, and take the children. Don't let the child be lonely, nor Lysa. Make sure the halls are filled with laughter and smiles and- Cat quickly cut him off.  


"I cannot. The king is riding to Winterfell to see you."  


Only a day ago the news would have sent a smile across Ned's face, the thought of seeing his friend being a happy and joyous one indeed. But both he and Catelyn had the same thoughts; a direwolf dead in the snow, an antler lodged in its throat, the dreams from the night before. He shouldn't believe in it; things like this don't happen.  
He squeezed his wife's hand and forced a smile.  


"We must prepare a feast then, with good food and singers. Robert will want to hunt, too. I shall send Jory south with an honour guard to meet them on the kingsroad and escort them back. We shall mourn Lord Arryn's passing and celebrate the king."  
Catelyn met his eyes as she felt despair form in the pit of her stomach, but Ned said nothing more.  


"The dreams, Ned. This is how they began." her voice was quiet, and she prayed to both the old gods and the new that he would listen to her, even if he wasn't a man who put faith in signs.  


"I know. But they were just dreams, and nothing more." 

When they finally got to bed, they were interrupted my Maester Luwin with a box for Catelyn. When the old man explained about finding a lens inside, everyone was confused. But when he produced a tightly rolled paper from his sleeve and handed it to her, explaining that it was hidden in the box, she understood.  


"A private language that Lysa and I created when we were children. She took no chances." as she unrolled it, both men went silent. Ned could feel the dread wash over him, even more so when she began hid the paper between burning logs and began to light a fire. He knew what it was, as did Cat before she had even read it. "She says that Jon Arryn was murdered by the Lannisters - the _queen._ "  


Maester Luwin seemed shocked, but Ned didn't. He knew the words that Catelyn had said in their dreams, and he wondered if she would now say them again.  


Her Tully blue eyes met his Stark grey ones, the stare so intense that he felt the urge to break eye contact.  


He was just waiting for her word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! This chapter was easier for me to write seeing as it's basically parts of the first couple of chapters of A Game of Thrones. I wasn't that impressed by this chapter, because a lot of it does resemble the first book (although I didn't want to stick to it too strong, the story basically begins the same as the book so I had to keep it close) but that will hopefully change soon. I do prefer it to the first chapter of ADoTWW however! I will try my best to edit the first chapter soon, but for now I'd like to focus on chapter three.  
> It's actually just about to turn 7AM here in the UK, and I've been awake all night writing this, so I hope you enjoyed it better than the last chapter and hope to read more! I probably won't get chapter 3 out for another week seeing as I'm really busy with college forms and stuff like that, but I will try really hard to get it done as soon as.  
> Constructive criticism is the only criticism that I like! No need to be nasty for the sake of not enjoying it - if there's a problem with someone's character or anything then tell me and I will try my best to improve! But nice comments are always welcome! Oh, also: I know that no one really knew that Bran's wolf was called Summer because they were all away when he named him, but the reason that Arya and Jon (and the others, probably) know his name without anyone telling them is all down to the wolf dreams throughout the series. Of course, with the kids now having direwolves, these will be happening sometime!  
> Thanks for reading!


	3. UPDATE

This is just a quick notice/update as I feel really guilty for not saying anything for so long!  
I'm still continuing with this story and I'm not going to be giving up on it, but right now I have so much going on. College is really tough and I've got exams every week and _so_ much revision to do that I haven't had time to finish the latest chapter. I have a few days holiday next month and hopefully there won't be a lot of work while I'm off, so I'm hoping to get chapter 3 finished and uploaded then!  
So, until then! Really sorry for this taking so long! If you're still here, thanks so much for your patience! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading the first chapter!  
> As I stated in the beginning, this is just to see how things go, so please leave me some constructive criticism if you can! Obviously you don't need to leave kudos, but anything that could help me improve my writing is extremely welcome (and needed)!  
> I will hopefully have the next chapter up in the next week - so until then, comment away!


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